Morning y'all,It's a gorgeous morning up top. We are clear and above the clouds. The high yesterday reached 36 degrees. The low was 13 degrees. It is currently 13 degrees and clear. The mountain received no new precipitation yesterday. There is no snow left on the ground. I would bet that there is a bit of ice on the trails, but not too much. Most of the water has been steadily draining off the mountain over the past few days. Enjoy, it's bound to be a stunning day for a hike.

Top photo: Greatsky. Above: Sunset above the clouds.

Yesterday was worth it. It was worth all the long, weary, comfortless Greyhound bus rides, the endless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when you have a three digit checking account, the near impossibility of finding proper health insurance, wandering about without a sense of community and questionable purpose as your friends start families and act like real, fulfilled grown ups, 'am i living up to my potential?!' - all the typical late twenties existential melodrama... sunsets like that just make every fret, worry and question evaporate. It is totally, utterly redeeming. It is hard to explain to the uninitiated 'why' living like this is worth it. You just had to be there. Trail life for life.

Maybe next year my fam will hike up w/ Christmas surprises for you ;-)

Steve D

12/24/2013 02:51:30 am

Breathtaking pictures JP! Merry Christmas to you and all on this website! Wish I could drop by but maybe another time.

Sandra

12/24/2013 02:59:24 am

Merry Christmas, JP! Wishing you gifts of spectacular views, beautiful snow, tracks to follow, visits from friends and good health. Thanks for sharing the beauty of the mountain with us! May God bless you!

Tom D

12/24/2013 03:01:55 am

As my Dad was dieing of cancer we had many long talks.One of them changed my life.He said,"Son don't die with your music inside of you".I had lived 57 years right on the gulf.I always wanted to see these mountains.Now when the sun sets I see the reflection off of your cabin windows from my porch.Live your music JP.

Richard

12/24/2013 03:07:58 am

Don't worry JP. Some pretty young thing will find you when you least expect it and you will start to see beautiful sunsets in other places.
This, of course, is from a way too old grown up.

Mary Anne

12/24/2013 03:21:16 am

You are in the sun. It is snowing in Cosby, although on the north horizon, I can see blue sky. It is odd living so close to the mountains, on the Cosby Plateau. We get rain/snow when no one else does, even you J.P. up there on LeConte. The mountains I CAN see are snow or frost covered. It should make for a good show if we let the sun shine in.

Merry Christmas JP and everyone else who frequents this site.
Jim: Your comments above are so very true; I must count myself s one of the lucky ones, for I seem to have essentially everything I desire and need. Oh, I'll always be searching for new things, and perhaps I'll discover some of them; Basically, I hope my desire to learn new things never diminishes. Someone said: "The journey is the destination." For me, this is true. G'day

Hey

12/24/2013 06:56:43 am

Ha. JP man, I know you not. But it's all about prospective, because in my late 20-some-things with a family and whatnot, I envy you. Namaste brother.

Debi

12/24/2013 08:05:44 am

Oh how I love Cliff tops. Thanks for the screen saver for the day. Merry Christmas JP and fellow hikers.

I love Cliff Tops, too, Debi. It was less than a year ago now that I was at that very observation point smack in the middle of the night watching a full moon set in the west; absolutely breathtaking !!

Donna

12/24/2013 08:25:05 am

Merry Christmas JP! Stay warm up there, it is supposed to get down to 16 here in Bryson City, so I can only imagine how much colder it will be on LeConte.

James W. Bailey

12/24/2013 09:21:21 am

'...the endless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when you have a three digit checking account...'

Yes, indeed. I always remember the endless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from my past life this time of year.

I also remember the days of the three digit checking account...with two of the three digits often represented by numbers on the right hand side of the .(cents), as in a max balance of $9.99.

It's a real pleasure to read your daily thoughts from atop the most beautiful place on Earth.

Merry Christmas

Kaye

12/24/2013 11:29:41 am

Merry Christmas JP and all who love Mt. LeConte. Hope to see you next week. And in agreement with other responses, live your live, dance to your own music. You will not have to, when you are an elderly man, have regrets and thoughts of only if I had done that when I could!!

Franklin

12/24/2013 01:32:52 pm

Ah yes, the timeless questions of a seeker. This is the dance of life, so be patient. Just believe- all is as it should be. Enjoy the journey. Merry Christmas J.P.

Holtknoblady

12/24/2013 01:35:05 pm

Merry Christmas wishes are being sent your way, JP. May all that you are wishing and hoping for be yours in abundance. And to my fellow bloggers, the happiest of holidays to you!

kurlrykue

12/24/2013 01:46:15 pm

I so envy you. My mother always put me down said I would never make anything of myself. Well dam near killed myself making the big bucks! P.I. in Los Angeles chasing idiots for big bucks! One day someone came to my door I just happened to be home and asked for my son's mother. I was stunned to find out the person thought my housekeeper was his mother. They never saw me I worked all the time. The following year we sold everything moved here 20 yrs ago & never looked back. My son is grown with his own exciting daring career and totally knows why I did what I did. Now I am ready to sell everything & hit the road in our RV. I don't want to end up like my mother stuck in her house with all her material items depressed & hateful cause she never did anything. I want to die living life on the edge. Sit me up under a tree and leave me to go back to earth. Feel life & embrace it don't let it pass you by!

I enjoyed your very touching story, kurlykue. I once told someone that I wasn't afraid of dying, just that I didn't want to be there when it happened ! Actually, my ashes are going to be spread somewhere in the Smokies, either partially at Cliff Tops, or at one of my favorite spots deep in the backcountry, provided I can arrange for someone to do just that, etc. Sitting under a tree and leaving me to go back to earth as you wrote sounds good, too. Merry Christmas

Al L

12/24/2013 02:17:26 pm

Merry Christmas, JP.

Wanda

12/24/2013 02:42:51 pm

Merry Christmas, JP.

Comments are closed.

LeConte Lodge

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